Zorpox Ascendant
by Brendan
Summary: What if Kim wasn't able to undo the attitudinator's effects? And just what are those effects for that matter?
1. The Taste of Failure

Zorpox Ascendant

Chapter 1 - The taste of failure

By Brendan

* * *

Kim clenched her fists as she looked up toward her now evil best friend who was laughing at the prospect of claiming all the worlds Naco's. "Go Drakken!" She called out quietly to herself.

"You've been a Bad Boy!" Drakken called as he leaped from behind Ron's newly built Mega-weather generator, the repaired attitudinator in his hands.

Ron suddenly crouched, his leg swing up in a kick that slammed into Drakken, knocking both the de-eviled mad scientist, and the helmet responsible into Ron's new invention.

"NOOOO!" Kim screamed as she saw the attitudinator trace a graceful arc through the air, and explode as it hit the spinning top of Ron's doomsday weapon.

As explosions engulfed the top of the device and traveled down its length, Shego looked toward the shocked looking Kim Possible and pivoted into a roundhouse blow that sent her flying. "Ok," she declared, igniting her hands as she turned toward where Kim had landed.

"No time for that Shego," Ron proclaimed as he charged past her, his hand dropping to press a button on his belt. With a grinding sound, a door opened in the wall he was advancing toward. "We're leaving now!"

"But. . ." Shego's protests died as she ran after the former sidekick. "Ok, but I was gonna clean her clock!"

Kim pushed herself off the ground, a hand going to her head as she fought down the pain.

"Farewell, Kimberly Ann Possible!"

"no." She whispered to herself as she saw the doorway shut behind Ron and Shego. "No!" She cried again as she charged doorway. "No, no, no . . ." she continued to sob while pounding on the immobile wall.

"Ah, Kimberly?" Drakken called meekly. As Kim turned towards him he cringed.

"I need to go after them! How do I get through here?"

"But the lab's going to explode." Drakken pointed out, gesturing towards the cascading secondary explosions engulfing the systems.

"I'm not leaving without Ron!!"

"B-But that's the passage to the Hanger so he's probably gone already."

Kim blinked. She looked towards the wall, then towards the explosions.

* * *

Shego sighed as she looked out the side of the hover-car towards the exploding mountain top lair. "Never fails, whenever things are looking promising, the lair blows up."

"Hah! That was just the warm-up. The main act will not be nearly so much of a rush job." Ron looked thoughtful for a moment then picked up a device sitting on the back seat.

"Um, hadn't we better be going?" Shego commented, glancing back towards the abandoned lair.

"One thing to do first." Ron pressed a button and the device scanned his body momentarily. "Yes, I thought so much." He nodded as the screen displayed a wire frame of his body, with a yellow blinking speck at the back of his neck.

"What's that?" Shego asked as she looked at the screen.

"Tracking chip. Probably Wade's initiative." He made another adjustment to the scanner, then pressed it against the back of his neck and pressed a button. "There."

"Wait, possible had you chipped? Like some sort of pet?" Shego asked.

Ron smirked. "The Big Dog won't be leashed anymore." Tossing the scanner back into the back seat, he grabbed the controls and the vehicle jetted away from Drakken's old lair.

Shego looked at Ron. "Dr. D didn't have any new lairs in the works, but if you give me five minutes I can hook us up at the Time Share."

Ron simply smiled. "No need, I've already taken care of everything! A-Booyahhahahahaha!"

"Hey, no laughing while driving!" Shego called.

* * *

Kim sat leaning against a boulder, looking up at the smoldering remains of Drakkens fortress. She looked down at the Kimmunicator in her hands. "How do I get Ron back now Wade?"

Wade looked worriedly at his systems. "HenchCo's systems will take a while to break into, their security measures are some of the most paranoid I've ever see." He typed a few keys at his computer. "Look, I'll set up a ride to get you back home and update you on Ron in the mourning."

Kim slumped, whispering "please and thank you."

"Ah, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am." Drakken said uncertainly. As Kim looked up at him, the mad scientist smiled uncertainly at her. "I'm sure that you'll be able to help your friend become a nice man again."

Kim looked back at Drakken's no longer blue face, then turned toward the ocean as she rose to her feet. "Yeah," her eyes narrowed with determination. "I am going to save Ron. No matter how long, no matter what it takes."

* * *

Shego stood in the doorway looking around the lairs new cafeteria. The smell of cooking had roused her from her sleep, and now she looked at the large table in the middle of the room, set up with what looked to be a waffle toping buffet.

"Shego!"

Her eyes slid to a table near the buffet. The large table was empty save for the blue skinned Ron Stoppable, and his huge platter food.

"Fill up a plate and join me. And be sure to eat hearty because there is a lot to do today! Ah Booyahahahahah!" The teen halted his laughter to take a bite of waffle topped with ice cream.

Shego looked toward Stoppable, then walked to the table and grabbed a plate.

* * *

Kim sat on her bed, her eyes red but narrowed with intensity. "Wade, please tell me you've found a way to turn Ron back to normal."

Wade scratched his head. "Well, it seems whoever designed it took really bad notes, even for a mad scientist. I'm kinda at a loss."

"You took scans of the attitudinator didn't you?"

"Knowing how to fix something like that doesn't mean I can build it from scratch. And we can't just get a new one from HenchCo because the one they sold Drakken was a prototype, and they've just pushed back their official release date."

Kim collapsed, an expression of defeat on her face. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath then opened her eyes, narrowing them in focus. "Wade, I want you to set up a meeting with Jack Hench ASAP."

Wade blinked. "Are you sure?"

"They're our best hope of fixing what's happened."

Wade frowned, then typed a few keys on his machine. The feed from Wade cut off momentarily, then Jack Hench's image appeared on the screen. "Hello again Miss Possible. I hope you're feeling well."

Kim looked at Hench for a moment. "I need to talk to you about something you sold Drakken recently."

Hench scowled. "His check bounced." He tapped his chin for a moment. "So, why are you interested in the Attitudinator?"

"That thing turned my best friend into some sort of supervillian!" She looked Hench in the eye. "Now as I see it, you still owe me one from that Muscle Ring deal, so I want you to help me fix this mess you've made!"

Jack crossed his arms. "HenchCo only makes the products, and is not responsible if some clients misuse them." He looked thoughtfully for a moment. "On the other hand, Drakken's check bounced, and I would like to balance everything between us." Hench turned away from the screen, speaking softly into a phone.

Hench turned back to Kim. "Ok, if you'll give me half an hour, I can set up a meeting between you and the scientist responsible for the Attitudinator."

"And this scientist is?" Kim asked.

"Jackie Hydeman. She's staying in the Middleton Tesla House. Your computer friend can give you directions." Hench pressed a button and his feed cut off. A moment later and Wade reappeared on the screen.

"Did you get that Wade?" Kim asked.

"Tesla house. That certainly explains the notes."

Kim looked at the screen suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Wade thought a moment. "Tesla house was founded as a place to house, care for and treat mad scientists who are to mad to take care of themselves."

Kim sighed. "Will you need to line me up a ride?"

Wade tapped a few keys. "No it's close, I'm sending you a map." He started typing away. "I'm also sending you a list of questions, since the Kimmunicator won't work inside the place's shielding."

"Please and Thank You."

* * *

Shego pushed her plate away from her and looked at Ron. The teen's skin was still blue, but his demeanor now seemed calmer and less frantic. "Ok, you've gone over you're short term plan, but before I point out what's wrong with it, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I'm willing to keep working for you under the terms of my contract with Dr. D, but not if the ultimate payoff is in fast food. So if you're thinking of blackmailing the world into giving you nacos, I'll see myself out."

Ron looked at her, one eyebrow arching upward. Shego forced herself to stay where she was despite the sudden spike of fear down her spine.

Ron suddenly grinned. "Don't worry I'm feeling a lot calmer. This time there will be no rushing, and no half-baked goals." He reached down beside his chair, and picked up a shopping bag. "But time's limited. Change into this disguise and meet me in the hanger."

Murmuring "Huh?" Shego looked into the bag. Her eyes widened. "WHAT??" Her hand reached out to grab the collar of Ron's shirt, "You want me to wear this?!"

Shego saw Ron's eyes narrow, and felt his hand come to rest on her arm. Then suddenly she felt pain as the floor rose up and slammed into her.

"Shego." Shaking away the daze, Shego looked up at Ron who was now standing over her. "I will accept your gestures of independence, but I will not tolerate rebellion." Suddenly his cold stare shifted into a malevolent grin. "Besides, I know that you're gonna love how this plan will come together! Booyahahahaha!" He turned and walked out the door.

Shego pulled herself to her feet, and picked up the bag, looking into it once more.

* * *

Kim looked through the tall chain link fence. Beyond the moat, the thorn covered hedges and the menacing looking sculptures stood the main building, looking like a cross between a castle and one of the lab buildings of Middleton Tech. "Cheery." She commented as she looked toward the gate.

"The residents are responsible for almost everything within the fence." Jack Hench commented as he walked past Kim to the gatehouse. "And most of them have some sort of persecution issues."

"Lucky for you exploitation issues aren't so common." Kim commented as she walked besides the businessman to the guard station.

"Miss Possible you wound me." Hench proclaimed, theatrically raising his hand to his chest. "Tesla House is a charitable non-profit organization that HenchCo is proud to support."

"They build evil mad scientist technology that you sell!" Kim responded angrily.

"And in accordance with the charter, most of the profits are divided between supporting Tesla House, and the residents' personal trust funds. We'd barely make anything if not for the tax write offs"

Hench activated the palm scanner, then the retinal scanner and leaned in to a microphone to say "Jack Hench." With a hiss, the six inch thick main doors opened.

Kim looked at the doors. "This is to keep people out?"

Hench stepped through the doors and pointed to the right. "From the inside you leave by pressing the big green button."


	2. Learning from the Mad

Zorpox Ascendant

Chapter 2 - Learning from the Mad.

By Brendan

* * *

Kim looked at the apartment door. The white door seemed incredibly normal. The wall it was built into on the other hand made of steel, and covered with patches. She looked back to the door as Jack Hench knocked.

There was a noise, and a portion of the front of the door slid down, revealing a small camera lens. "What do you want?" A speaker in the doorframe asked in a husky feminine voice.

Jack grinned at the camera. "It's Jack! I called you earlier to mention I was going to be dropping by." He gestured to the henchman standing nearby, who lifted the small cooler he was carrying toward Hench, sliding the top off it.

"Why must interruptions always shatter my. . ." The voice trailed off as Jack Hench pulled a ramekin out of the cooler and held it up before the camera. There was silence for a moment, then with a click and a whir, the door opened.

Kim looked toward the ramekin, but before she could identify its contents, Jack stepped into the room. With a scowl Kim followed him.

The inside of the room was covered with notepaper. Paper covered in equations and drawings, attached to the walls by pushpins. And there was so much paper, that it took Kim a second to spot a clear section of wall and realize that the walls were actually covered in corkboard. But then she looked from the walls to the room's occupant.

_'Jackie Hydeman.'_ Kim thought to herself. The woman was slightly shorter than Kim, with unkempt somewhat frizzy blonde hair. Behind her heavy-duty glasses her eyes were green and somewhat wild looking in her face. But what made Kim's eyes narrow was how her skin was almost the same shade of blue as Drakkens. _'Is that a coincidence?'_

"Hello Jackie." Jack said with a smile. "We were hoping to talk to you about something you designed."

"I've designed a lot of things." Jackie commented as she closed her eyes and sniffed the air. "You've added nutmeg this time, right?"

Jack scratched his chin a moment. "I believe so. But I'm specifically interested in the system you devised to separate good and evil. . ."

"Filter the passion spectrum." Jackie responded sharply.

"Ah, sorry, I'd forgotten the more accurate terminology." Jack walked to the single clean table in the room, and put the ramekin on it, covering it with an upside down plate. As Jackie stepped toward the table, Jack raised a hand. "Answers first if you please."

Glancing at the waiting dish once more, Jackie sighed and looked at Jack and Kim. "I found passion has a spectrum and varying frequencies. I detailed the equations and schematics to remove or restore specific colors of passion, and I gave that to you already."

Jack scratched his neck. "Thing is, there was an, accident with one of the prototypes. A client was trying to filter down his altruistic passions, but instead all his malicious passions were transferred to someone else."

Jackie scratched her chin. "Such a transfer. . . The recipient would have probably died of burnout within a few hours."

Kim felt her heart seize up. Then she shook her head. "No, it's been a few days and Ron's still alive." A worried expression covered her face. "I hope."

Jackie waved a hand dismissively. "If he survived 24 hours, burnout's not a problem. Though it's likely both he and the donor were slackers for it to work."

"I'm not so sure about Drakken," Kim muttered to herself. She shook her head. "The thing is, we tried using the attitudinator again to reverse what happened, but it was destroyed."

Jackie blinked. "Attitudinator?"

Jack cut in. "Ah, that's the name we gave to that application of your work. We thought it sounded impressive."

"It sounds inaccurate." Jackie responded. "So, you tried to use the memory effect to differentiate the new passions from the old."

Kim blinked. "Um, I guess that's what we were trying."

Jackie rolled her eyes. Turning away from the two visitors, she walked to the table and pulled open a drawer in it's side. "Can you at least describe his symptoms?" She said as she pulled out a small thin knife and put it beside the ramekin, followed by a spoon.

Kim started to scowl, then coughed briefly. "Well, the day afterward Ron started building this gizmo that threw mashed potatoes all over the cafeteria and kept laughing. And the next day, he'd turned his old tricycle into an ATV that turned into a plasma shooting. . . thing. And he'd turned blue while Dr. Drakken turned back to normal."

"Blue." Jackie suddenly turned, looking at Kim. "What were the circumstances behind how Drakken acquired his unusual pigmentation?"

"I don't know, my father says he wasn't blue when he went to college as Drew Lipski, and he was blue the first time I met him. . ."

"Lipski!" Jackie turned from Kim and grabbed a notebook and pencil off something that was too covered with papers to identify. Her hand began to blur as she wrote. "Pigmentation effect following the shift of malicious passions," her hands paused as she looked up at Kim. "Did . . . Ron exhibit any signs of Intuitive Para-Technological Engineering before the transfer?"

"Intuitive what?" Kim asked.

"She means mad scientist type stuff." Hench whispered to Kim.

"I laymen's terms," Jackie responded in annoyance.

"No. Ron was never very good with tools."

"I see." Jackie started writing on the notepad at an even faster rate than before. "This is huge."

"Wait, what does this mean for Ron?"

"Hmm?" Jackie paused, looking confusedly at Kim. "Oh the passion transfers after effects." She wrote a few more notes on the paper, then turned the page. "Well, if you do nothing, the transferred energy will dissipate in the recipient and re-accumulate in the donor."

Kim blinked. "So, if I just wait, everything will go back to normal?"

"That depends on how you define normal. Drakken's malicious passions should recover over the course of about two months."

"Months?" Kim asked.

"Possibly three. As for this Ron, the malicious passion absorbed by Drakken will probably completely dissipate within one month. However there's a good likelihood that by that time, he will have become sufficiently accustomed to those levels and be generating a far higher level of malicious passion than previously."

Kim looked at Jackie, a horrified expression on her face. She tried to demand more information, but her throat clenched up.

"Now in the short term, it's likely that the initial transfer left his brain in a state of shock, one that he would probably overcome-" Jackie halted as Kim grabbed her shoulders.

"No!" Hench called.

"How do I get Ron back!" Kim yelled.

Jackie blinked and looked down at Kim's hands. With a scream she pulled away, her hands trying to hug herself while franticly rub at where Kim had grabbed her. "Bad touch, bad touch, tactile pressure and skin galvanic resonance, lemon custard infused with almond," she murmured as she squatted by the wall.

"She doesn't respond well to being touched." Jack explained in annoyance. "Give her room," he insisted while making a little shooing motion. Turning to the table, he picked up the knife and with a deft well practiced motion slid the blade into the ramekin and traced a quick circle along its inner surface. Pulling the knife away, he inverted the plate over the ramekin, then turned them over. "Jackie," he called out softly. "Guess what!" he called as he slid the ramekin upward, revealing the caramel covered custard inside. He put the plate on the table, and took a step back.

Jackie rose, her shivering halted and her eyes fixated on the plate. Picking up the plate and spoon, she scooped herself a small bit of the custard and popped it into her mouth. "Mmmm." She moaned. Looking at Jack and Kim she calmly proclaimed, "There is nothing better than flan."

"Ah yes." Jack responded. "While you're eating that, do you have any ideas on how to restore Kim's friend to the way he was pre-transfer?"

Jackie paused, looking at the second spoonful. "Well, if she can drain off the excess Malicious passion energy within a week of the initial transfer there won't be too much long term change." She popped the spoon into her mouth and took a moment to enjoy its flavor. "Now if she can't manage it within that time window, she might try transfusing in benevolent passions." She paused to eat yet another spoonful. "Of course, transferring too much could be fatal, while transferring too little would not have the desired effect, and while that could make his passion balance resemble his original, the rise in both levels would probably result in at least some degree of hyperactivity, possibly exacerbating his IPTE manifestation. There's scheduled drains, blue infused liquid pump, red beam illumination might make brain surgery less catastrophic, factor-x not quantifiable, blue and red power amplification, do you believe in belief," she kept speaking softer and faster as ideas poured out of her mouth.

"Um, my friend printed up a few questions." Kim said, holding out Wade's printout.

Jackie looked at the printout, looked down at her hands, and popped her spoon into her mouth. With a sigh she rested the spoon on the dish and took the printout from Kim with her now free hand. Glancing over the questions, she carefully set her plate on the table, then picked up her notebook and flipped to a new blank page. Accepting a new pencil Jack Hench was extending, she began to write, her hand seeming to blur as it jumped back and forth.

"Alright," Jack whispered to Kim. "We'd probably better go once she's finished."

Kim blinked. "But . . ." She paused, unsure of her answer.

"I don't see her coming up with anything else useful before she finishes that flan, and trust me, you don't want to try dealing with her without it."

"Here." Jackie handed a handful of papers toward Kim. As Kim took the papers, Jackie turned away, picking up her plate once again.

"Thank you again, we'll be leaving now," Hench called.

Jackie absently waved her spoon toward the pair as they left her room.

* * *

Kim looked at the notes. "I hope this'll be enough."

"Don't worry, she wrote that before finishing her flan." Hench commented as he walked through the hallway.

Kim looked at him. "And what was up with that. . ."

Jack glanced back at her. "Flan. It's custard baked with caramel."

"I know what flan is, I messed up making it in Home Ecc last year. What I want to know is why it was so important."

Jack gestured to the building around them. "Do you know the main problem Mad Scientists suffer from? Excessive inspiration. And Jackie's case is particularly severe. The only way to keep her attention focused on anything for more than a few seconds is to first fixate her on one of the things she's deeply obsessed with. Flan is an obsession that's pretty easy to handle." Jack reached forward to press the big green button to open the doors out of Tesla House. "And I have no idea where the flan obsession comes from."


	3. Evil Schemes

Zorpox Ascendant

Chapter 3 - Evil Schemes

By Brendan

* * *

Kim looked into her locker in the deserted hallway. "Ok, there's her notes. Talk to me Wade."

Wade looked at the screen where the scanned pages were on display. He scratched his head. "This is pretty weird stuff. I might have to contact a few experts." He looked at Kim, then grinned reassuringly. "I should have something for you by this afternoon."

Kim sighed in relief. "You rock Wade." She shut her locker and leaned against it.

"Possible!"

Kim jerked away from the wall and turned toward the voice. "Mr. Barkin?"

"Class attendance is not optional, it's mandatory." The ex-marine looked around. "I don't suppose you know anything about why Stoppable missed his first three classes too?"

"Ah, he's getting some tests done." Kim explained.

Barkin raised an eyebrow. "Tests."

"Oh yea, the doctors are worried it might be . . . IPTE Syndrome."

"Madboys disease." Barkin calmly commented. "Well, when you see him again, you can remind him that the school has a strict no death-ray policy." Barkin crossed his arms. "School policy also says that every student is responsible for their own actions. So on Friday morning you will turn in a five page paper on the nature of IPTE. And you can start that paper in detention."

"I'm afraid that's not an option," A voice behind Barkin declared. Teacher and student both turned their heads to look toward the figure in a black suit and tie, holding out an ID badge with one hand while adjusting his sunglasses with the other. "Miss Possible, if you would please follow me, your presence is quite urgently requested."

Kim glanced from the Agent to Barkin. "Well if you're sure it needs to be now, who am I to argue." She stepped around Mr. Barkin and walked up to the agent. As the agent pivoted away and started walking she fell into step beside him. "So, can you tell me what you're here for?"

The agent glanced at Kim, then turned to open the doors out of the school. "That's their call," he explained, pointing to a half dozen figures in GJ field uniforms standing before a Hoverjet. She briefly grimaced at the sight of Will Du leading the group, then put on a cheerful face and walked to the group. "Will, good to see you again."

Will nodded, "Miss Possible, I'll need you to hand over anything you might have in your pockets to Agent Wednesday." Will pointed to the pale skinned agent beside him.

Kim blinked. "Um, is there some special reason for this? I've never had to do this before." Looking uncertainly at the agents surrounding her, Kim took out her wallet and handed it to Agent Wednesday.

"Different circumstances dictate different procedures." Agent Du declared. "Now, before we do anything else, can I ask you what you were doing this morning instead of attending school?"

Kim looked at Agent Du. "Since when does GJ monitor school attendance?" Kim looked a moment, then shrugged. "If you must know, I had to see someone at Tesla House."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Tesla House. Very advanced security, how did you get in?"

"I called due a favor from Jack Hench alright? Now what's all this about." Kim crossed her arms and glared at Will. Suddenly she realized the tension she felt in the air. Her gaze slid sideways toward the other GJ agents, all of them focused on her.

"We're looking for facts, Miss Possible." Will stated. "You say you spent the morning with someone known for selling alibis." He pulled out a small stack of photographs. "This claim directly conflicts with empirical evidence placing you at the scene of two successive break in's at top secret labs."

Kim's eye widened as she grabbed the photos and looked at the pictures of herself and Ron.

"Naturally," Will commented, gesturing toward the Hoverjet. "We want your help in figuring out the truth."

Kim lowered the pictures, a shocked expression on her face.

* * *

"Aw," Kim declared with a pout. "Don't I warrant some handcuffs? I've got a few in case you need any." She started laughing, looking up at the Monitor where GJ was escorting Kim into the Hoverjet.

"Isn't that enough for now?" Ron commented from where he stood beside her. Both were clad in their mission gear, just like they'd worn so many times over the years. Then Ron adjusted a switch on the fingerless glove on his right hand, and the hue of his skin abruptly shifted to a pale blue.

Kim looked at Ron and shrugged. "Hey, you were right, this is a lot of fun." Her hand dropped down to press her belt buckle. With a flicker, the image of Kim Possible vanished, replaced by Shego, still dressed in Kim's black top and cargo pants. The only difference in her outfit was the appearance of a large high tech looking belt around her waist, and a choker around her neck.

"You know," Shego commented, still speaking with Kim's voice, "I wouldn't mind doing a few more little capers like this. Just to see the cops carting Kimmy away."

Ron cleared his throat and pointed toward it. With a little "Oh yeah," Shego raised her hand and pressed the gemstone set into her choker.

"So," Shego asked, in her real voice once again, "You're taping this right?"

"Of course. Still, you realize GJ will figure out about the Holo-Disguise before too long."

Shego grinned. "I know, it's just," She paused looking up at the screen. "Hey remember Kimmy, don't drop the soap!" Once again she broke down laughing.

Ron glanced at Shego, then turned and walked to an equipment laden table. Opening a large cardboard box, he began pulling devices out of it and lining them up.

"Yeah, that reminds me, what did you want all that stuff for?" Shego called from the monitor. She walked toward where she had set up her personal chair and table.

Ron grinned nastily. "To keep everyone guessing at what I'm planning."

Shego blinked and turned toward her new boss. "That's it!?"

Ron shrugged. "Oh there are a few really useful items among the things we picked up, but most of this gear I took just to keep Kim and Wade guessing about my plans." He looked toward the now glowering Shego and smirked. "And to add a little static into affairs between GJ and KP. Whatever happens, their not likely to just shrug off her failing to warn them about me."

* * *

Will slammed his hands on the table. "Your partner goes bad, and you didn't think to tell us?!"

"I almost got him back last night!" Kim retorted angrily. "If - "

"Almost doesn't cut it in our business." Dr. Director pointed out as she walked into the room. "I won't fault you for holding onto your secrets while you had your partner under constant surveillance with a clear and immediate counter plan in place."

"But," Will started.

"However," Betty Director interjected, leaning in toward Kim. "Last night you lost your capacity to track Ronald, with him still a clear and present danger. Your failure to tell us about him then is inexcusable."

Kim glared back at Dr. Director, then sighed and dropped her head to the table. "Yeah, I suppose my head just wasn't in the game."

"Nonetheless," Dr. Director pointed to the screen where Kim and Ron casually put on gas masks a moment before a box two scientists were looking at suddenly started releasing a cloud of knockout gas. "We still have to figure out what we're looking at here."

Kim looked at the screen. "I'd ask Wade but you took my Kimmunicator."

"We've already contacted Mr. Load about this. But in the meanwhile, we'd like to hear your theories."

Kim looked at the figure. "Well, Drakken did have that cloning technology. . ."

"According to reports those clones lacked the wits for anything besides combat." Dr. Director

Kim winced slightly. "Yeah, they tended to growl instead of talk. Maybe Ron improved it somehow."

Suddenly Wade appeared on the monitors. "Not a clone, a disguise." He stated.

Dr. Director nodded. "Ah so you've found something?"

Wade nodded. "It took some going over, but watch this." His image was swapped by Kim walking past a collection of large electrical devices. For an instant her appearance seemed to flicker. "Check the frame by frame." The frames from the scene repeated themselves, halting on the frame where Kim's appearance suddenly went transparent and slightly jagged with static.

Kim's eyes narrowed as she identified details of the form inside the image. "Shego."

Wade reappeared. "From what I can tell, Ron rigged up some sort of Holographic disguise. And maybe a voice changer too, I'll have to run some comparisons."

"How about what was stolen?" Kim asked.

Wade scratched his head. "I've looked over the list of items, and I'm still not sure what he's working on."

"Any progress on the personality modification technology?" Dr. Director asked.

"I was kinda busy looking into the Holo-disguise. But I did forward some of the data to someone I know, and from what they've sent back I'm pretty sure I can get you a replacement attitudinator calibrated for Ron in a day or so."

"Well that's good as far as it goes, but that will only help if we can find Ronald." Dr. Director declared. "We have all the Ron Factor data to study but," She turned to Kim. "You should know him better than anyone. What do you think his ultimate goal will be?"

Kim blinked and looked thoughtful. "Well, he was after Naco's yesterday."

"Naco's?" Will asked incredulously.

"From what Professor Hydeman said, he was probably still in shock from the Attitudinator. He certainly was acting like an amalgamation of all the bad guy's we ever busted, now that I think of it."

Will scowled. "That's all good, but what will he be planning?"

"Calm down Will," Dr. Director chastised Will good cop style. "Will he still be acting with a Naco fixation if his mind's overcoming the shock condition you mentioned?"

Kim's face shifted uncertainly. "Well, there's no way Shego would still be with him if that were his goal."

"Then what is his goal." Will pushed.

"Um. . ." Kim sat back and thought. "Well, besides fast food he also likes watching wrestling and playing video games." She once again adopted a thoughtful look.

"And," Dr. Director prompted several moments later.

"And. . . Well, he likes action movies too."

"Can you at least identify his technology foundation?" Will asked in a voice filled with annoyance.

Kim blinked. "His what?"

"What sort of advanced technology was he studying when he broke through? Knowing his field would help us figure out what he'll be working on." Dr. Director explained.

"Break through? I don't know, I've never seen him studying anything except schoolwork. Sometimes," Kim added under her breath.

Betty Director looked at Kim. "Ah, I forgot that you wouldn't have read Professor Hydeman's book."

Kim blinked. "She wrote a book? Um, it's not classified is it? Because Mr. Barkin's asked me to write a paper on Mad Science and it'd be great to have a real reference."

* * *

Dr. James Possible glared suspiciously across the room. Opposite him, Drakken looked up from his Notepad, and waved, his expression kinder and more innocent than Drew had ever looked in his life.

"Ah," Drew intoned, suddenly looking guilty. "I forget, have I apologized for that Bebe incident?"

James raised an eyebrow. "Twice already."

"Oh good." Drew looked down and continued drawing.

"Alright, what are you drawing? Some sort of death ray to fire at my daughter again?"

Drew cowered back. "Oh no! Nothing so violent. I just remembered Kim Possible getting into a fight with your two boys, and I thought maybe they wouldn't fight if I could build something that would keep rockets from working inside this house."

James blinked. Then he extended his hand with an expectant look on his face.

Drew held out the notepad, an uncertain expression on his face. "I'm not really finished with it yet."

Dr. Possible simply looked over the writing, turned a page, then another. He looked up at Drew, raising an eyebrow. "Impressive work Drew. It's years away from any practical application but still impressive."

"Thank you, though I'm pretty certain I could put it together in two or three months."

Dr. Possible looked at Drew. "Hmm, so the normal skin doesn't mean you've gone totally sane then?"

Drew blinked. "Sane? Oh, right, the intuitive engineering." He paused, looking around the room. "Well, I can still see the fragments, but they don't seem to be pulling the same way."

* * *

Kim sat in her room, looking at the small framed picture of herself and Ron. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked down at the book Dr. Director had given her.

_While Hydemans post accident writings were much harder to decipher, I included them mostly intact for the rare portal they grant into the mind of the Mad scientist._

With a scowl on her face, Kim started flipping pages, reading as fast as she could.

Twenty minutes later, she stopped, and traced a paragraph with her hand.

"'Reviewing my findings, I identified one particular graduate student named Drew Lipski. Mr. Lipski possessed the genetic predisposition for IPTE, as well as many of the psychological factors that tended to precede onset. Personal troubles made him very willing to sign on as my assistant in this phase of the work.'" Kim looked up from the book. "Drakken!"

Kim looked back down and kept reading. "'It was Pan Dimensional Nexus theory that offered the key to the final piece of the puzzle. When examining the time and place where all the identified Mad Scientists experienced their Breakthrough inspiration, I found that every moment matched a time and location where PDN predicted the 'solidity of reality' would be at a weak point.'"

'From this I realized that the key to understanding IPTE actually lies outside our universe. And PDN theory not only revealed this to me, it also revealed the means to look beyond reality and find it.'"

Kim silently kept reading, skimming over the vague details of the machine Hydeman and Lipski had built. Then she slowed and read through the editors explanation of the accident.

"'In the most inadequate terms, in that one moment when my machine shattered in a burst of blue light, I . . . saw something. It wasn't there, yet it filled my every sense, like I was thrown into it. Like a great clockwork world, perfect in every detail, then suddenly a flawless ecosystem, with every strand of DNA discernable by smell, then another form and another. I just can't find any words to describe it, to explain why I was crying at the sheer beauty of it. Then it passed, and suddenly I was back in reality. Broken, ugly reality. But then, I looked at one of the fragments of the machine, and I saw a piece of It, a fragment that I knew I could make more real if just had the tools and the materials. Everywhere I look, everything has a piece of what I saw that time, all of it crying out to become complete.'" Kim read a moment more, then shut the book and put it on her desk.

"What is happening to Ron?" She whispered.


	4. Evil at rest

Zorpox Ascendant

Chapter 4 - Evil at rest

By Brendan

* * *

Shego came to a halt as she walked through the doors of the gymnasium. For the first time she could remember, there was someone other than her in the room.

Ron stood, dressed in a white gi. His hands were moving in a blur as he struck, spun and blocked the spinning Wing Chun dummy. Finally he halted the wood cylinder with a palm strike, and turned toward Shego.

"Ah you're here, good!" Ron declared. "Get yourself warmed up, then give me a call. I need a sparing partner, and that means you."

"Wa-wa-wait a minute. Sparing partner? You're the evil mastermind, it's my job to do all the kung-fu-ing with the teen hero's." Shego crossed her arms and looked at Ron.

Ron smirked. "I believe in thinking outside the box. Plus there's something I need to see." He turned back toward the dummy. "Call me when you're warmed up and we'll start." His hand thrust out, striking one of the arms on the dummy, starting it to spin.

* * *

Shego scowled as she blocked Ron's lightning fast strike, and just barely stepped back from his follow-up kick. As she hopped back in, penetrating his defenses with a kick that threw him across the mat, she allowed herself to grin. Then the grin faded as Ron managed to instantly flip and reverse to land facing her.

As Ron dropped into another low stance, Shego likewise readied herself, her mind already analyzing the match, trying to make sense of it. _'What the hell is going on?'_ she thought. Ron was smiling as he stood in a ready stance, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. _'I was expecting that amateur flailing, and yeah a few of his initial moves were totally unpolished. . .'_ As Ron charged forward, She ran in to meet him. As she threw her punch, Ron suddenly seemed to fall as though he had slipped on a banana peel, causing her fist to pass right over him. Her fist was still fully extended as Ron caught himself with his arms, and swung his body and kicking her legs out from under her.

Shego took a moment to rub her head as she lay on the mat. _'Damn it, he's improving so fast I can't predict him.'_ She looked up, and saw Ron extending a hand to her, a smirk on his face. Her fists briefly clenched before she pulled herself to her feet.

With a shrug Ron dropped his extended hand. "So, shall we continue?"

Shego felt the urge to ignite her Go Glow and try wiping the smirk off his face. Instead she shook her head. "Actually, I think that's enough for today, you shouldn't push yourself too hard after all."

"Oh that wasn't pushing," Ron replied with a grin. "That was simply testing something out."

Shego looked at Ron's grinning face then shrugged her shoulders. "Call it what you will. So are we going to be doing anything big today?"

Ron raised a hand, one finger extended. "Oh no, we'll avoid Kim Possible's eyes for two more days. Hahahaha!"

Shego sighed. "So what sort of contraption will you have finished in two days?"

Ron smirked. "Oh, it's not about me, it's about her. Though actually, it is about me after all."

"Ya-lost-me."

Ron began walking toward the doors of the gym. "You see Shego, I made some upgrades to Drakkens com gear and have been eavesdropping on the back and forth between Kim and Wade." With a casual swat he knocked the door open and strode into the hallway. "Their looking to change me back into Mr. good little sidekick, and it seems their odds of managing that will take a nosedive in three days."

"Yeah, but how is the real plan helped by Kim feeling desperate? You do have a real plan besides messing with Kimmy don't you?" Shego added suspiciously.

Ron kept walking as he responded, "When the real plans complete, the whole world will be bowing to me. But showing Kim Possible just how helpless she is against me, that's what makes the plan worth doing." He opened the door to his room and walked in, glancing to the attached private bathroom.

Shego frowned as she walked into the room after him. "Look, I've got nothing against revenge as a side goal, but you're making it sound a bit too central."

Ron turned around and looked toward Shego. "Shego, if you stay much longer you'll be following me into the shower, and I'd rather keep our relationship professional for now." He casually took off his gi top.

"GAAHHH!" Shego sputtered as she fled the room, slamming the door behind her. "Um, take your time showering, OK?"

* * *

Kim walked down the stairs from her room, looking like she had gotten less than an hour of sleep the previous night.

"Watch out!" A voice called out. Kim turned, blinking as she realized the voice was Draken's, then ducked under a sphere of yellow energy that flew over her head. With a scowl she traced the energy projectile to its source. "TWEEBS!"

"We're just trying out this new containment field projector." Jim responded defensively as he held up the large gun shaped item.

"Yeah, it'll make catching Ron a snap," Tim added.

"When I find Ron, I'll be able to catch him just fine! It's finding him that's important, and that won't help find him!!"

"Please, don't get so upset." Dr. Drakken pleaded. "Their just looking for a way to help your friend . . ."

"They can help by keeping out of the way! They can help by not distracting me!" Turning away she charged down the stairs.

The twins looked after their sister. They turned to look at each other.

"Hikka Bikka Buu?" Jim asked, holding up the projector.

Tim broke into a wide grin. "Hooshah."

"What does that mean?" Drakken asked in confusion.

* * *

Shego looked across the lab at where Ron was rapidly writing on a sheet of paper. _'Ok. . .'_ She thought, thinking back through her experience with Mad Scientists. _'Drakken, Dr Hades, Professor Mustard, even Dr. Heller when he was helping build Team Go it's equipment. Every one of them got really nasty if I interrupted them when they were brainstorming like this.'_ Her mind briefly conjured an image of the ground opening to drop her into a shark filled pool.

Shego suppressed a shudder. _'I miss Drakken. He was actually fun to piss off.'_

"Shego!" Ron called, one hand briefly swinging back to gesture for her to approach.

Shego forced herself not to scowl as she walked up to her new superior. She froze as the teen pivoted and extended three sheets of paper. "Here, I put together a list of errands for you to run."

"Errands?!" Shego snarled. "Errands are what the henchmen are here to handle."

Ron looked at her. "Oh please, if I try sending them to do anything KP'll be crashing through the door in ten minutes. You are the only one I can trust to get this done stealthily. Well except for me of course, but I've got more important things to get done."

Shego scowled again, but took the paper and began reading.

"All the items are in that box." Ron added, pointing toward a cardboard box at the opposite end of the work table.

* * *

Kim looked at her locker, bit her lip a moment, then opened it up, and pressed a button on her computer. A screen opened with a blocky CG representation of Wade on it. "Hello Kim, if you are calling for an update on Ron, there's nothing new to report. If this is about something else, please press-" Kim cut the automated response off and slumped for a moment.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her books. "Head in the game, Possible." Kim muttered to herself. "You are going to get Ron back, and he'll need you to be on top of classes to help him catch up." She shut her locker.

"What up K?" A very familiar voice chimed in from behind her.

Kim turned her head, looking balefully toward Bonnie. The brunette, paused, an uncertain expression flickering across her face, then she settled back into her usual smug look.

"What do you want Bonnie?"

"Well, according to the schedule there's cheer practice after school today, but since . . ." Bonnie paused, looking at Kim's fury filled face. "Since your boyfriend's still missing,"

"Ron's just a friend!" Kim snapped.

Bonnie shrugged dismissively. "I'm only saying that if you'll need more private time, I'd rather you let me know now so I can be ready to handle the squad for you."

Kim ground her teeth in anger. Pushing down the desire to give Bonnie an impromptu lesson in Kung Fu, she instead forced herself to smile. "Thanks for the offer B, but I'll be seeing you there." Striding forward, Kim pushed past Bonnie.

* * *

Drakken sat at a table, looking over three blueprints and two sketchpads.

"Keeping busy Drew?"

Drew looked up towards Dr. Possible, who was approaching the table. "Ah sorry, I didn't hear you. . ." Drew started.

"Don't worry," Dr. Possible replied, looking down at the work, "I'm just checking up on you. After all, I was the one who decided to bring you by the space center."

Drew smiled. "Thank Tim, I really don't like being alone." He sighed unhappily. "I miss Shego."

"Shego?" Dr. Possible stroked his chin contemplatively for a moment. "That's the one who keeps shooting green stuff at my Kimmy, right?"

Drew looked guilty. "Um, I'm sorry for my role in any confrontation that might have hurt your daughter. . ."

Dr. Possible waved his hand. "You've already said that a dozen times. Don't worry about it."

* * *

Shego sighed as she looked around the large fish market she was standing in front of. "Grocery shopping." She grumbled as she looked down Ron's list. "Dr D never made me go grocery shopping." She muttered. Taking a deep breath she strode in.

* * *

Kim looked at the other cheerleaders practicing in the gym. Her eyes slid toward her schoolbag where she had stowed her Kimmunicator. Shaking her head she looked back to the group. "Ta. . ." Her critique halted as she saw Tara turn away from Bonnie and resume the exercise with the mistake she had seen corrected. She looked at Bonnie, who simply smirked and resumed her own routine. Kim narrowed her eyes, looking for any sign of flaw in Bonnie's movements. To her annoyance she didn't see any significant enough that she could point them out without sounding petty.

**Beep**

Kim's head whipped toward the sidelines as she heard the chime, then she scowled with the realization it was coming from a different cheerleaders bag. Her eyes once again drifter toward her own, and she bit her lip.

* * *

"I've been waiting all day, is there any News!" Kim proclaimed to her Kimmunicator as she walked along the sidewalk.

Wade sighed. "Nothing good. About an hour ago, I spotted an energy pattern consistent with one of Drakkens lairs. Then another popped up and another until there were thousands of them all across the globe."

"Decoys?" Kim asked.

"Yup, GJ sent a team to investigate one of the locations. It took them over an hour to find the device generating the readings. They estimate it will take at least three weeks to investigate them all."

"AAAARRRRRR! Is there any way to narrow it down?"

Wade looked back to his computer monitors. "I'll do what I can."

* * *

Shego walked out of the cafe. Looking about Milan, she sighed. "Four errands down, 3 still to go." She glanced down the street, looking thoughtfully at the crowd.

Suddenly Shego grinned. Taking a breath she wove her way through the throng, apologizing as she bumped into people, then finally came out of the thick of it. Walking down the alleyway she had reached, she looked down at the cell phone she had just stolen and flipped it open, her thumb entering the long international phone number.

"Hello?"

Shego grinned at the voice. "Hello Nerdlinger."

Wade's voice betrayed his shock as he blurted "Shego?!" in response. "Why are you calling me?"

Shego paused to glance about herself. "I'd like to trade some information. You tell me what you've found out about Stoppable and Drakken, and I'll fill in a few details too. But don't pass too much on to Kimmy, Stoppables monitoring all you're communications."

"What? I double encrypt everything."

"Your boy said that he upgraded the equipment Dr. D used to hack your communications with Possible back when." Shego commented. "He didn't go into any more specifics."

"Well, can you tell me where your current hideout is?"

"No way, handing out that sort of information would piss Stoppable off, and I am not going to take that kind of risk."

"Then why are you calling me?"

Shego paused, looking out of the alleyway into the square for a moment. "I'm looking for information about Drakken, just in case things don't work out with the new boss. And while I can't hand you anything that would jeopardize operations, I can give you some information that might help with other things. But I'll want your word that if I tell you what I know, you'll spill everything you know about what's happened to Stoppable and Dr. D."

Shego listened as the cell phone fell silent for a few moments. "Ok, deal." Wade finally said.

"Your word on the whole good guy code thing?" Shego pushed.

"Yes, I'll even tell you now that the effect of the attitudinator will wear off in a couple of months."

Shego blinked. "If it'll just wear off, why did Stoppable say there was a deadline in two days?"

The line was silent a moment. "Um, I'll get into that after you give me you're information."

". . . Allright. First of all, Stoppable's planning to keep hidden until the deadline hits. He still hasn't clued me into his real plan, but mentioned that he'll be ruling the world when it's done. Though apparently, he feels that ruling the world is less important that showing Kim that she can't stop him from ruling the world."

"He said that?"

Shego leaned against the wall of the building. "I'm paraphrasing, but those were his general words."

"I see. Can you give me any details on what you two stole?"

"All I know is that he said that there were a few useful items, but most of it was just to keep you and the cheerleader guessing."

"Worked too." Wade muttered. "Is there anything else you can offer me?"

Shego glanced up. "Well, Stoppable's currently got me on a big global shopping trip. I've just dropped off a package with the Fashionista's who's contents I don't know, but most of what he's got me going after is food."

"Food?"

"Yeah, real fancy stuff too like Abalone and three types of flour I've never heard of before."

"Um, can you get me a list?"

Shego looked at the phone a moment, then grinned. "One second." She held the phone above the first page of her list, and clicked its camera button.

"Ok, I've clued you into his big goals and a little on the details of what he's doing." Shego explained after sending the photos. "What can you tell me about the attitudinator and how it's affecting Drakken and Stoppable?"

"Kim managed to talk to the Madgirl who came up with the technology." Wade started.

"Madgirl?" Shego commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Easier to say than Madlady. It turns out she's was actually one of Drakkens professors when he was in school. Weird coincidence eh?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Coincidences happen. What did she say?"

"In a nutshell, what the attitudinator affects isn't Good and Evil energy so much as Good and Evil aligned passions. So that due to the accident, all of Drew's selfish and malevolent passions got transferred to Ron, leaving him with only altruistic and benevolent type passions. The reason Kim will want to hurry up on turning Ron normal again is because Hydeman said that if Ron carries excess negative passions for too long, he'll start treating that as the normal state and naturally gravitate toward it."

"Hence Kimmy's desire to change him back ASAP. How about Dr. D?"

"Well according to Hydeman, his negative passions should just happen to slowly recover over the course of a month or two, barring any incidents accelerating or slowing the process. Basically, she said that while there's an equilibrium that passions will tend to return to over time, passions can also be affected by events that encourage or discourage feelings."

Shego sighed. "So, if everyone makes extra nice-nice to Dr. D, he'll probably take longer to go back to normal, but if his buddies start laughing at him again he'll go evil extra fast?"

"In a nutshell."

"Thanks." Shego flipped the phone shut, then powered up her glow while squeezing the device, shattering it to pieces.

* * *

_Kim, I'm having this hardcopy delivered because Ron's been eavesdropping on our conversations. I'm including a new wrist mounted model, but keep it in reserve because it's probably best if Ron doesn't know we know he's snooping on us._

I just got a call from Shego, and in exchange for some information on Drakken, she told me a bit about Ron's plans. He wouldn't tell her what he was working on, but he did say that while he was working to take over the world, his main goal was to overcome you doing it.

Kim angrily slammed the paper onto her desk and turned toward the windows. Looking out into the night, she raised one hand to touch the glass. With a sigh she turned away and looked toward her bed.

"Tomorrow." She said quietly, her mind remembering the full message. "Ron will act tomorrow, and I'll need to be rested and ready.

* * *

"Tomorrow's the big day." Ron commented as he examined the razor sharp blade he held. "Tomorrow we strike!" He suddenly struck, his hands blurring. "Perfect," he commented as the carrots on the cutting board before him suddenly collapsed into a collection of identically thick slices.

Shego looked around the huge kitchen and shook her head. "I don't get it, what are you gonna do, serve her brunch?"

Ron looked at Shego with a grin. "Do you doubt the power of my Evil Cooking?"

Shego took a step back, her mouth going "Um," while her brain looked for a safe response.

"Booyahhahahahah! I'll let you see for yourself tomorrow." Ron turned away from Shego, and picked up one of the bags Shego had brought back, opening it to examine the dried sea cucumbers inside. "Yes, tomorrow!" He turned toward a large glazed earthenware pot and laughed once more.


	5. Cooking up some real Evil

Zorpox Ascendant

Chapter 5 - Cooking up some real Evil

By Brendan

* * *

"Ah, all is in readiness." Ron declared. 

"Um, boss?" Shego interjected, "What's with. . ." She pointed toward the table covered with warming trays. She looked around at the various other food sources in the open sided tent.

Ron raised a hand toward her, his head turning to one side. Shego sighed and folded her arms as he turned away from her. Shego sighed and took another look at the large Chinese character for Evil on the back of his umber cooks outfit.

"Ah, there you are!" Ron called striding toward the two people who were walking into the tent.

"Um, Mr. Stoppable?" The thin bearded man asked.

"Indeed. The agency assured me you have plenty of food serving experience, and most of the job will simply be keeping the self serving trays stocked." He pointed to the portable warming cabinets surrounding a large clearly custom built structure holding a large ceramic jar. "And serving soup," He added with a grin.

"Yes. . . Don't you have a bit much there?" The woman asked, pointing to the warming units. "We're not exactly in the busiest part of town, and I don't recall seeing much advertising for this preview event of yours."

Ron grinned. "Advertising." He picked up a knife and walked up to the Ceramic jar. "I could have advertised," he commented as he snapped the sleeve of his jacked forward and used it to grab the large knob on the jar's lid. "But frankly, that seemed so unnecessary." His knife flashed, slashing at the tape sealing the jar shut. A moment later and he pulled free the lid, raising it with a flourish.

Shego looked on curiously as the cloud of steam suddenly rose from the opened pot. Then her eyes widened. She breathed once, then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, struggling to take in as much of the flavor in the air as she could. _'What is that? It's like there's a thousand different types of richness, and yet their all one flavor at the same time. . .'_ As her mouth watered, she opened her eyes and looked again toward the pot, trying to figure out what could be making the air taste so good.

With a grin, Ron briefly twirled a long handled ladle, then thrust it into the pot, stirring twice before drawing it again and filling four sample sized cups. Putting down the ladle, he picked up one of the cups and took a quick sip. He broadly grinned before declaring "Perfect."

With his other hand he grabbed one of the other samples, and walked toward Shego. "The others are yours," he called to the two workers. "I'd advise you to get a taste before to many people show up. Yours," He added to Shego handing her the second sample he had grabbed as he walked past her and out of the tent.

* * *

Shego leaned against the fence next to Ron, sipping at her soup. "Yeah, it's really good soup." She commented, glancing toward Ron. "But how exactly how is this supposed to help us?" 

Ron simply smiled and raised his arm, looking at his watch.

"Have you ever smelled anything like that?" One figure in a lab coat asked as he walked down the street in front of Ron and Shego.

Next to him a second similarly dressed figure shook her head as she walked beside him

"Definitely something that needs to be checked out." A security guard added as he followed, with more and more people swarming behind him.

Shego watched as the stream of people from the Science labs poured out and walked to the already crowded parking lot. Her eyes widened at the sight of the normal skinned Drakken, but she realized that he had been too busy talking with a technician and a very curvy blonde to notice her. She looked after the group, frowning to herself as she drank down the rest of her soup.

"One more," Ron commented as a Janitor walked past them, "And that's it." Pushing himself off the fence, Ron casually turned and walked to the gate, calmly striding past the empty guards booth.

Shego trailed behind him, glancing around the now deserted compound.

"Don't worry, I counted and that was everyone," Ron explained as he pulled a tricked out PDA out of his pocket. "Now," He added as he walked through the front door, "I just have to turn off the security." Walking up to the main desk, he extended a cable and plugged it into a free port. Three seconds later and he nodded. "There, done."

* * *

Beep-Beep-Be-Beep 

Kim grabbed her Kimmunicator while rising from her seat.

"Miss Possible!" Mr Barkin called angrily.

"Note!" Kim responded, holding up a letter as she walked to the front of the class.

Mr. Barkin blinked as he looked at the letter, then saluted the seal of the President on it. "Understood," he said, blinking as he realized he was talking to the open window Kim had just exited the building through.

"Sitch me Wade!" Kim called as she charged for the front of the school.

"There's been a major break in at the Space Center, it's Ron!"

Kim slowed. "The Space Center? What about my Dad?"

Wade looked uncertain. "Well, I don't know, it seems there's some sort of jamming that's keeping me from detecting lifeforms inside the building." He raised a hand to the headpiece in one ear. "Hmm, it seems that's not jamming."

Kim's blood ran cold. "Dad?"

Wade blinked. "Oh no! He's fine, he's fine, it's just Ron apparently managed to empty the building by setting up an open air buffet across the street."

Kim stared at the screen. "How could he empty a building with a buffet?"

Wade shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently the soup smelled so good that everyone had to come try it, and he then brought in a dozen trucks to ransack the building while they were busy."

Kim stared at Wade. Shaking her head she asked, "Any idea where their going?"

Wade looked grim. "He took steps to disrupt using satellites to track the trucks, but . . . He left brochures with an address at the buffet I mentioned." He pressed a button, and suddenly the Kimmunicators screensaver started up.

Kim blinked a moment, then raised her arm to look at the new wrist mounted Kimmunicator. With a ping it activated. "You receiving me?" Wade asked.

Kim nodded, "Loud and clear."

"Good. Checking out the address Ron handed us, it's actually an old resort you helped out two years ago. Ron apparently remembered they were closed for the off season and set up his base there."

"How do you know that's not a red hearing?" Kim asked uncertainly.

"I can't be sure, but. . ." The screen shifted, showing a collection of buildings and a large parking lot. The parking lot that had been painted over with an oval surrounding the fancily drawn letters RS.

"Yeah, it's like the logo you like to put on all the gear you make with me in mind." Kim commented. She smiled. "I guess I'm invited. You've got a ride on the way, right?"

Wade "GJ should be picking you up in less than a minute. But you know this has to be a trap, don't you?"

"Maybe it is, but that's never stopped me with any of the bad guy's, and it's not gonna stop me with Ron."

"Um, you realize that Ron's a bad guy too at the moment, right?" Wade asked nervously.

Kim glared at the screen. "Just have that reverse attitudinator ready to change him back OK?" She looked up as the Global Justice Hoverjet descended from the sky, and touched down in front of her.

* * *

Ron sat alone in the dark, his eyes flicking from one monitor to another. He grinned and typed a few keys on the keyboard on his lap. "Shego," he called into the headset on his left ear. "How soon till completion." 

Shego blinked on the screen, and raised a hand to her own headset. "Well, the critical stuff you detailed will be ready real soon, but that won't even come close to completing this. . . thing."

"Excellent," Ron responded with a smile.

"Look, I'm not going to get into a big argument over this, but if Kim Possible is really heading to your location. . ." Shego began.

"You'll stay there, get it working and rendezvous as planned. I've made my preparations, set up failsafes, and I'm going to deal with Kimberly Ann myself," Ron replied, his voice hardening.

Shego tried to keep herself from flinching away from his gaze. "Yes sir, the project will be completed on time."

Ron smiled at Shego, then with a keystroke cut the feed to her. He shifted his eyes to a monitor showing a GJ hoverjet flying toward the resort.

* * *

"You should stay with the jet," Kim commented as she looked out the window toward the resort. 

"We've been through this," Will Du responded as he worked the controls. "The situation with your former partner is clearly too dangerous to pin all our trust on an amateur."

Kim forced herself not to grind her teeth. "Fine, how about I take the front entrance while you circle around and sneak in the back."

Will paused, his eyes thoughtful. "I would normally object to using an amateur as the distraction, but you've proven yourself to be a very talented amateur, and your ex-partner's obsession with you means you'll be his focus no matter what."

Kim briefly allowed herself to growl at Will for a moment, then turned her head to the hoverjet's door as she felt the bump of it landing.

* * *

Ron nodded as he watched Kim jump out of the Hoverjet and charge toward the resort's main entrance. He frowned slightly as a different screen showed another form slink from the jet, hugging the shadows as it circled the building. "Well Duh," Ron commented to himself. "Well, Kim will be needing a new sidekick now that the old one's gone solo." He smirked. "Though, I would have thought she'd have her sights set higher." 

Shaking his head Ron looked at the monitor showing Kim's progress through the delaying threats he had assembled in the entryway. "Hmm, Kim's looking in good form." He looked back to Will's monitor. "So, I'll want to keep him from causing any trouble." His hand reached down and flipped six switches, then pressed a small blue button.

* * *

Will knelt beside the rear door, examining it's lock. Suddenly he heard a loud 'whoop' from behind him, and spun to look up toward a long armed silhouette decending from the sky toward him, it's arms extended. Instinctively he raised and triggered his watch, channeling a huge jolt of energy into the form as it's arm grazed his shoulder. A second later Will hit the floor, a now inert robot chimp landing on top of his stunned form..

* * *

"Booyahahaha! Not so smart to use a stun device when you're in the path of the ground." Ron turned from Will and looked at the monitor at Kim. "Ah, almost time too."

* * *

Kim landed next to the double doors, and with a quick sidestep avoided the spear dropping from the ceiling. "You know this isn't enough to stop me Ron," She whispered quietly to herself. "Just a little longer and I'll make things right for you again." With a quick motion Kim threw open the doors. 

The henchman who started in response to her entrance was standing alone and unarmed. He was also wearing a black coat festoon with lace, and a somewhat askew curly haired wig. On either side of him curved back two long semicircular countertops, each covered with a huge assortment of cooking tools.

ﾁgAh, Miss Possible, here to . . . If my memory serves me . . . yourﾁfre here to make a challenge!ﾁh The henchman finished with a triumphant tone.

Kim paused a moment, staring at the henchman uncertainly.

ﾁgYou are truly. . . truly a worth it challenge to face . . .ﾁh

ﾁgSkip to the end Bob.ﾁh Ronﾁfs annoyed voice suddenly boomed. Kim briefly looked around, her eyes identifying loudspeakers, then she refocused her attention on the henchman as he struck a pose facing the opposite end of the room with one hand upraised.

"Um, I summon. . . Copper. . ."

"IRON!" Ron's voice interjected in annoyance.

"Ah! Yeah, I summon Iron Chef Evil!" Bob called triumphantly.

Three floodlights came to life and pivoted to shine on the podium at the end of the hall, with it's fancy alcove containing a large poster of Ron in an umber chef's outfit, holding a knife and a cleaver before him and grinning evilly. Then the floor in front of the alcove opened and from it rose Ron dressed in the same outfit. However instead of mimicking the pictures pose, he had transferred both blades to his left hand so he could use his right massage his forehead.

"Ah, sorry boss, I guess. . ." Bob started, halting as Ron extended his right hand in a dismissive gesture.

"You can go now." Ron walked forward to a table, looking at Kim as he put the two knives on it. He glanced back toward Bob who was still standing there uncertainly. "GOgogogogo!" He called waving his hand dismissively.

As Bob hurried out of the room, Ron shook his head and walked into the cooking area. "That's always the way it goes," he commented, shaking his head. "You have the whole big dramatic confrontation planned out, but the only guy you can find to deliver the introductions had no acting experience besides a third grade play." Ron sighed melodramatically.

Kim couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Wanna drown your sorrows at Bueno Nacho? My treat."

Ron struck an exaggerated thoughtful pose. "Ah, so tempting. But I'm afraid Naco's must wait."

Kim's grin faded as she felt her heart clench. For a second Ron had spoken with the warmth she had known all her life, but with his last utterances, his tone had shifted, becoming far colder. "Damn it Ron!" She declared as she stormed forward toward her former friend. "I don't wanna have to fight you!"

"Why not?" Ron asked with a confident smile. "Are you afraid you'll hurt your pitiful little sidekick? Or maybe you're afraid of getting hurt, and having to admit who did it."

"I just don't wanna hurt my best friend! Not because of some stupid evil invention!"

Ron looked toward Kim. Kim paused, trying to judge what the thoughtful expression on his face meant.

Ron turned toward a counter. "Sounds like a feeling I felt for a long time." He commented as he adjusted a bowl of white powder. "'What if I do something that costs me my friendship with KP?' Ever since Fong-Sensei back when I've thought that a lot. But the thing is, this little shift made me stop thinking that all the time." Grabbing the second bowl of milky liquid, he dumped it into the first bowl and started stirring with an oddly colored plastic spoon. "And now, I'm discovering all sorts of things I can do when that's not holding me back." Still stirring the bowl, Ron turned to Kim. "I've decided that I want to see just what I'm really capable of. If that path goes to dark places, so be it. And if it means our friendship ends," Ron paused, his face taking on a conflicted look for a moment before settling into a determined one. "So be it."

Kim just looked at Ron, her mind refusing to accept what he was saying. Then her attention was redirected as Ron hopped forward, his foot striking out and slamming into her stomach, knocking her back half a dozen feet.

Kim gulped for air, one hand on her stomach as she shifted into a defensive posture, her attention focused on Ron.

"Head in the game, Kim," Ron called out. He stirred the mix in his bowl twice more, and lifted his spoon, considering the thick string of batter it pulled behind it. "What's the point of beating you if you're heads too far in the clouds to fight back?"

Kim scowled angrily. "Don't worry about me."

Kim leapt forward, spinning into a roundhouse kick that Ron ducked under. Releasing the spoon, he lashed at Kim with a punch which she leaned back to avoid. Continuing the spinning motion from punch, Ron spiraled into a squatting kick to Kim's legs. She sensed it early enough to jump, but Ron's leg still clipped her rising feet.

As Kim's body spun from the contact, she thrust out a hand to grab a countertop to stabilize herself. Sensing Ron's movements out of the corner of her eye, she pushed her feet to the ground so she could let her hand go, but that moment was all it took for Ron to suddenly slap a heaping spoonful of dough over her hand. Her first yank revealed that the dough was strong, elastic, and it stuck to both the countertop and her hand like superglue. After confirming this with several further pulls, she diverted her attention back to Ron just in time to lift her foot so that the spoonful of dough he had thrown hit the floor rather than her foot.

"Still feeling so confident KP?" Ron asked as he gave his spoon a little twirl, and advanced, just into kicking range.

Kim watched Ron a moment, then launched the fastest thrusting kick she could. Ron however, ducked aside, his spoon slapping a generous amount of dough on her foot a moment before his forearm smashed down onto her leg. She tried to catch herself before her leg hit the ground, and just barely succeeded. She raised her kicking leg, then glanced down at the other, which now also sported a covering of super adhesive dough.

Ron paused, looking at Kim. "Hmm, captive, but still able to fight." With a grin he drove his spoon into the dough, stirring hard. With a flick of the spoon he lobbed another hunk of dough at Kim. Kim leaned back out of the way, but as the dough passed beside her to slam into the countertop, she realized that it was actually a thin rope of dough pulled from the spoon. In that instant Ron struck, slamming the other end of the rope of dough onto the countertop. Kim had a second to look before the main rope suddenly shrank, snapping her tight against the countertop.

Kim's mind raced as she evaluated her situation. One hand was directly glued, the other now glued just above the elbow. And worst, in the shock, she had lowered her free foot, leaving both feet stuck to the floor.

"Game over, Kimberly Ann Possible," Ron stated coldly. He casually pushed a button on his belt, and the large table in the center of the room split apart revealing a large bomb with a digital countdown that began counting down from 5 minutes.

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never beat me in the kitchen." Ron declared. "Despite your. . ." Frowning he trailed off, looking first at the bomb, then back at Kim. "Your best. . . Oh who am I kidding, you were awful today!"

Kim blinked in surprise as she stared at Ron's angry face. "I've seen you throw a better punch against Drakken for pity's sake." He shook his head. "I wanted to. . . Well, there's no way we can have a proper match today." Muttering angrily to himself, Ron walked to the bomb, opened it with a sharp rap two inches from the corner, then reached into the mass of red wires and pulled one specific plug, causing the bomb to power down.

Ron rose and turned, pointing his finger at Kim. "This is your last freebie!" he declared, "Our fight is just beginning, and I'm not going to let you off if you have another bad day!" Looking at his watch he nodded his head, and pulling a remote from a pocket in his jacket, he pressed a button.

As the roof of the room suddenly split in half and slid open, Kim looked up at the huge form floating in the sky just over the ranch. "Is that a zeppelin?" She asked as she stared at the oblong shape.

Ron smirked. "Oh there's a superficial resemblance." Pointing his remote at the zeppelin lookalike, he pressed another button, and a ray of light shone from the object, pulling him into the air, into an opening in it's hull.


End file.
